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Afforestation drive fails to take roots
They quit jobs in US to nurse their motherland
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Unhappy Congress leaders may join SAD
Rs 122 cr for Rajindra Hospital
Fiscal package
Topper’s success mantra: 10-hr study everyday
Central team’s visit to ICP postponed
Rs 42 cr sanctioned to save fields from sewage, court told
Undertrial in police custody attacked
Phagwara man shot dead in Vancouver
Army jawan ends life in Jalandhar
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Afforestation drive fails to take roots
Ludhiana, May 4
But, the state government too does not appear to be serious. For, it has not even been able to utilise the allocated Rs 10 crore so far. The Forest Department officials blame lack of open land for their going slow on afforestation. They say they were planting saplings on whatever open land they found in schools, colleges or villages. Chief Conservator of Forests Kuldeep Kumar said the department had transferred 713.911 hectares of land to the NHAI. “Following the transfer of land, we need to develop forests on 1,528 hectares. We have planted saplings on 217 hectares in Patiala, 100 hectares in Ludhiana and 175 hectares in Jalandhar. Our year-end target is 887 hectares…. Most of the plantation has been done in schools, colleges or on panchayat land,” he said. Kumar says 400 acres of land had been identified in Garhshankar for plantation. But, the residents living nearby objected to its use for forestry and have even moved court against the step, he says. “The residents fear forests will attract wild animals,” he says. Officials say though a number of NGOs were active in the field, none were ready to help the department in acquisition. They say as soon as people get to know that their land is to be acquired for afforestation, they jack up prices. “They hike rates three to four times, which gets beyond our reach,” they say. State government fails to act It’s been over two years since 10,000 trees were axed for the Rs 400-crore expressway on the southern bypass along Sidhwan Canal in Ludhiana. But, Punjab has so far not provided any land to compensate for the ecological loss through afforestation. Environmentalists say widening of roads near canals has been a blow for the Forest Department as that was the only chunk of land left with them for planting saplings.
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They quit jobs in US to nurse their motherland
Amritsar, May 4 “Unlike most of the joint ventures, ours was not a planned effort. It was instead a real-life experience that changed the course of our destiny. Once we had a tough time rushing the mother of one our friends, who fell seriously ill in the middle of the night, to a hospital due to absence of any ambulance facility. We realised that day how significant each moment is for an ailing person and how a good ambulance service can make all the difference,” shared Ziqitza Healthcare Limited (ZHL) CEO Sweta Mangal while talking to The Tribune on the sidelines of a function held here to mark the first anniversary of ‘108’ in Punjab. An MBA from the US, Sweta said the incident prompted her and her four friends to join hands to launch an ambulance service in Mumbai in 2004. “We pooled in whatever savings we had to purchase two ambulances to make a start while continuing with our respective jobs. Initially, we thought of running the service in the form of an NGO. But, our mentor and guide Sam Pitroda cautioned us against it while telling us that the venture needs to be self-sustainable,” she said. Subsequently, they floated a company (ZHL) in May 2005 and invested more money in it. Their big break came in 2007-08 when various state governments invited tender bids for ambulance services. They first bagged the contract in Bihar. From meagre two ambulances in 2004, the ZHL today had 860 ambulances operating in Mumbai, Bihar, Rajasthan, Kerala and Punjab. They have an annual turnover of Rs 80 crore and a workforce of over 4,800 in these states. Recently, the firm bagged the contract of running ‘108’ service in Odisha as well. It has served 13 lakh people in India since its inception. They have roped in big names like London Ambulance Service and American Heart Association to train their ambulance staff. Also, their venture also made it as a case study in reputed institutions like Harvard Business School and Oxford University. With the venture’s success, Sweta and her two friends quit their jobs in 2007 and are now working full-time for the ambulance service. Her friends in the venture are Shaffi Mather, Ravi Krishna, Manish Sancheti and Naresh Jain, all of whom are educated in the US. After tasting success on Indian soil, the ZHL is now eyeing foreign shores. “We are planning to take our venture to other developing countries like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. We have already helped a Pakistan-based NGO to run a similar project,” said Sweta. They have also initiated free first aid training programme under which any school/college in Punjab can contact the ZHL (Contact No. 7307475552), which will organise a free workshop on first aid training. It is aimed at enabling people to help the aggrieved in a correct manner in an emergency. Addressing the gathering, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu said '108' has turned out to be a life saving initiative in Punjab. Quoting her own experiences while working as a government doctor prior to being an MLA, she said it was a tough job to get an ambulance on time for a patient. 108 ambulance service turns 1 Started from two, the company now has 860 ambulances, Rs 80 crore turnover and over 4,800 work force. Data released by the company reveals that the ‘108’ service has helped save 1.53 lakh lives inPunjab, which now has 240 ‘108’ ambulances operating in 20 districts The call centre of the ambulance service received 14.5 lakh calls in one year Of the 1.53 lakh patients that these ambulances ferried to hospital, 49,277 were expectant mothers while 23,144 were accident/trauma cases 245 successful deliveries also took place in these ambulances
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Unhappy Congress leaders may join SAD
Chandigarh, May 4 The three-member AK Antony Committee constituted to look into the reasons that led to the Congress defeat in the assembly elections has already submitted its report, blaming nobody in particular. This should come as a relief for PCC chief Amarinder Singh. For the high command in New Delhi, the ensuing local bodies elections do not mean much. However, it is not the outcome of the civic elections that is worrying the party rank and file, but the morale of cadres. Since the poll debacle, Amarinder has held a couple of protest demonstrations against ‘victimisation’of party workers. These demonstrations were well-attended. But the last three weeks have not seen any Congress activity. Insiders say Amarinder has decided to keep mum till the uncertainty over his leadership persists. And this is severely damaging the Congress. The Bains brothers are believed not to have been keen on joining the SAD. They were said to have been in touch with the Congress leadership too. However, because of lack of clarity on the part of the Congress, they seem to have reworked their strategy and decided to go with the SAD. The Congress may see bigger trouble in days to come with reports of a sitting MLA from Malwa and three former legislators, who were defeated in the last elections, reportedly in touch with the SAD leadership. The sitting MLA may be made to resign and re-contest as an Akali candidate. And if he wins, which is quite likely as a ruling party seldom loses a byelection, the Akali Dal strength in the assembly will rise to 59 and it would not no longer be dependent on the BJP. The Akalis may not attach much importance to former MLAs joining its ranks, but any such development will certainly demoralise the Congress cadres. The SAD president and Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Badal, could not ask for more. Worrying Signs There are reports that senior leaders, including a sitting MLA, may walk over to the SAD The sitting MLA may then be made to resign and re-contest as an Akali candidate If he wins, SAD’s strength in the assembly will rise to 59 and it would not no longer be dependent on the BJP
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Raninder: Rakhra’s kin behind vendetta cases
Patiala, May 4 "A majority of such cases are reported from Samana where Surjit Singh Rakhra is the MLA and now a cabinet minister. His close relative is running the administration and is the man behind these cases," they alleged. A delegation of Congress leaders, including Raninder Singh, Rajpura MLA Hardyal Singh Kambhoj and Nabha MLA Sadhu Singh
Dharmsot, today submitted a memorandum to the Patiala DC and the SSP, urging them to reinvestigate cases where Congress workers and their family members had been “implicated at the behest of SAD leaders”. They listed 13 cases in the memorandum wherein FIRs had been registered against Congress workers “to settle personal scores”. "There are instances where Congress leaders were attacked by Akali workers and the police did not act. Political bosses have given an open hand to goons to target our workers,” reads the memorandum. "In some cases even women members of Congress workers' families were beaten up in police stations," Raninder told The Tribune. "Our sarpanches and other members are being booked in cases pertaining to fraud, cheating, theft, attempt to murder etc," he said. Deputy Commissioner GK Singh said he had received the memorandum and would forward it to the authorities. SSP Gurpreet Singh Gill said some cases pertained to the period before his joining
Patiala, but assured that no vendetta cases would be allowed. A spokesperson for Rakhra said all these allegations were baseless and their leader had nothing to with it. Will move rights panel:
Ex-MLA
Bathinda: Former Congress MLA from Pucca Kalan (Bathinda), Makhan Singh, today accused the state government of pursuing political vendetta against him by charging him with encroaching upon a street.
Makhan Singh said Bathinda Municipal Corporation officials had visited his house at National Colony here in his absence and threatened women members of his family. Demanding action against the BMC officials, he said he would approach the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker, the State Human Rights Commission, and the SC/ST Commission to seek justice. Lists cases in memorandum to DC FIR against Dainthal village sarpanch Jhilmil Singh for selling panchayat land to his relative, but no action against any officer for transferring the panchayat land Former chairman block samiti Sukhwinder Singh and his family members attacked allegedly by SAD men. No FIR registered. Instead, Sukhwinder's family members booked Kakra village sarpanch Joginder Singh Kakra booked for selling soil from six acres of panchayat land Six congress workers from Fateh Majri village attacked and pressurised to withdraw their earlier complaint against some Akali workers. The police failed to act
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Rs 122 cr for Rajindra Hospital
Chandigarh, May 4 Sanctioning Rs 30 crore for 2012-13, Badal said the hospital would be developed into a state-of-the-art institution. He instructed the officers to fix priorities for the task immediately. The CM was told that the recently started Cancer Cure Centre at the hospital, which was equipped with a Rs 3 crore simulator and a Rs 28 lakh mammography machine, was working well. A hospital welfare committee and an academic committee were constituted to improve the functioning of the hospital.
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Fiscal package
New Delhi, May 4 “All parameters that will be applied to West Bengal should be applied to Punjab too ”, said SAD MP in the Rajya Sabha Naresh Gujral. This did not mean Punjab was against a financial package for West Bengal, he emphasised, adding that Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal would raise the issue with the Prime Minister. “Punjab’s claims should not be ignored.” A committee constituted by the Finance ministry has recommended that the finances of Kerala, Punjab and West Bengal need to be restructured. Punjab wants a complete waiver of loan accumulated during the militancy period.
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Topper’s success mantra: 10-hr study everyday
Hoshiarpur, May 4 Rukmani did her matriculation in 2003 from Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School,
Dalhousie, securing 80 per cent marks. After graduating from Guru Nanak Dev University, she did masters from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences,
Mumbai. Her teachers Gurnam Singh and Dr Rajesh Kumar encouraged her to appear in the Civil Services Examination. She lived up to their expectations and cleared the exams in the first attempt. Talking to this correspondent, she said she daily studied for over 10 hours. “I will serve my people with dedication and will not tolerate corruption,” said Rukmani who said she was not afraid of dreaming big. Her father Baljinder Singh, a retired Deputy District Attorney, and her mother Tedbir
Kaur, who retired as a lecturer, said their daughter was exceptionally talented.
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Central team’s visit to ICP postponed
Amritsar, May 4 Traders said it was decided in the their meeting with LPAI and Central Warehousing Corporation
(CWC) officials in Delhi earlier this week that the team will visit the ICP and take stock of the ground realities on Friday and Saturday before submitting its report on the issue. They said they had a word with the officials in New Delhi and they had been told that they will be intimated about the new schedule of the team, which is now likely to arrive here next week. Meanwhile, India and Pakistan have agreed to allow import and export even on Sundays through the Attari-Wagah land route to clear the backlog of goods due to the five-day strike by traders.
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Three of family burnt to death
Patiala, May 4 The police has registered a case under 174 of the CrPC. The victims have been identified as Tejinder Kumar (30), his wife Sheetal (28) and their daughter Pari (2). "Occupants of a number of houses in this locality manufacture crackers illegally and we doubt that there might have been some explosive material stored. Nothing could be salvaged from the house," said Bikramjit Singh Brar, SHO, City, Rajpura. Eyewitnesses said the entire house was gutted in no time. "The bodies have been charred beyond recognition. The rescue operation was hampered as the house is located in a congested area that made it very difficult for fire tenders to reach the spot," they added. The fire was so sudden that the deceased's relatives who live right next door could not reach them for help. "We could not even recognise our family members," said the victims' relatives.
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Rs 42 cr sanctioned to save fields from sewage, court told
Chandigarh, May 4 All this and much more was told by Punjab Principal Secretary, Department of Local Government, Suresh Kumar, to the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The assertion before a Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice MM Kumar and Justice Alok Singh came on a petition filed by Khajan Singh and 19 others of Dhani Chirag area in Abohar. The petitioners had sought directions to the State of Punjab and other respondents to construct and maintain a “disposal water drain” in Abohar city. Directions were also sought for preventing sewage from spilling into the fields.Taking up the matter, the Bench said that IAS officer Suresh Kumar “has undertaken to visit the spot on May 19 and has stated that in the meanwhile, instructions will be issued to the Deputy Commissioner to go through the revenue record and assess ground realities and apprise the department of facts, particularly the loss/damage to crops of the farmers whose land is adversely affected. “He also states that the report of the local commissioner (earlier appointed by the High Court) shall be examined and compensation payable in pursuance of the order dated December 9, 2011, shall also be paid to those who have been identified by the local commissioner ”. The Bench fixed May 24 as the next date of hearing and called for submission of a status report at least two days in advance. Arrest stayed
Just about a fortnight after the Punjab and Haryana High Court asked the State of Punjab to elaborate upon the steps taken to arrest two Ropar jail officials for their alleged involvement in behind-bars drug menace, the arrest of one of them - Tejinder Singh Sodhi - was today stayed. Justice VS Malik also issued notice to the State of Punjab and other respondents on former superintendent Sodhi’s plea for anticipatory bail in FIR dated March 17, under the provisions of the NDPS Act registered at Ropar police station. Describing the allegations as false and baseless, the petitioner claimed he was “a retired person having unblemished service of more than 37 years”.
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Undertrial in police custody attacked
Moga, May 4 Accompanied by two policemen, Davinder Singh of Daudhar village in Moga, was being brought from Muktsar in a bus for a court hearing in Nihalsinghwala. He was rushed to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital at Faridkot where his condition was said to be stable, said a police officer. The attackers, numbering 12, came in three vehicles. They overtook the bus on the outskirts of Manuke village and thrashed Davinder Singh. One of them attacked him with a sword. All this while, the policemen remained mute spectators. They meekly handed over their mobile phones to the attackers when told to do so. Preliminary investigations reveal that the gangsters fired three shots into the air from automatic firearms to intimidate the passengers. A criminal case has been registered against unknown persons.
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Phagwara man shot dead in Vancouver
Phagwara, May 4 Sarpanch Gursharan Singh Ghoshi said Malkiat Singh Cheema, the deceased’s father, came to the village immediately after Independence. But the family shifted to Noormahal and then migrated to the the UK from where they moved to Canada. Ranjit, who was reportedly trying to re-enter drug trafficking trade in Canada, was gunned down by some unidentified gunmen. He even served a five-year jail term in California on the charges of trying to sell nearly 200 kg of heroin.
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Army jawan ends life in Jalandhar
Jalandhar, May 4 The deceased, lance naik Kanta Parsad Sachan who belonged to Gooja area in Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, had joined at the Signal Centre of the Jalandhar Cantonment on a month's duty on April 27. His permanent posting was in Delhi. The police said prima facie it appeared to be a case of suicide even though investigations had been started in the case. Family discord was stated to be the reason behind his taking the extreme step. An Army spokesman said Kanta Parsad's colleagues set out to locate him in the morning when they found him missing. Around 8:30 am, they spotted the deceased's body hanging from a tree near the Signal Centre building.
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Ludhiana, May 4
in Punjab. But, a few know how a bunch of US-returned young Indian professionals doing highly paid jobs in multi-national companies there came together to form the company that is facilitating the service in five states, including Punjab.
Rukmani Riar (24) of Budh Ram Colony here has done the district proud, securing the second position in the Civil Services
Examination. Rukmani did her matriculation in 2003 from Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School,
Dalhousie, securing 80 per cent marks. After graduating from Guru Nanak Dev University, she did masters from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences,
Mumbai.
Apart from this, the Centre’s apathy on the ecology front could be gauged from the fact that it has only released Rs 10 crore of the promised Rs 35 crore for tree plantation. The drive was to be initiated to make up for the massive felling done by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).
5 US-returned young Indian professionals had set up an ambulance service an year ago to provide the facility in five states, including Punjab